Photos: Washington Gladden Social Justice Park Now Open

First announced back in May of 2017, the Washington Gladden Social Justice Park officially opened on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Located at 404 E. Broad St., the new park features a small green space with auditorium-style seating, a separate enclosed space, and a long wall highlighting significant events and people of early social justice history in central Ohio.

Displayed on the wall are the names and stories of individuals that stand out in the region’s history, including Rev. James Poindexter, Frances Watkins Harper, Joseph Schonthal, Florence Allen, Bishop John A. Watterson, Celia Jeffrey, and Washington Gladden. Gladden, the park’s namesake, was a Columbus community leader known as “the father of the Social Gospel Movement in the early 1900s,” according to the park’s website. Gladden also advocated for “civil rights, workers’ rights, voting rights, religious pluralism, school integration, and the needs of the poor and oppressed.”

Though just a small pocket park, the new Social Justice Park is the first of its kind in the United States.

Lauren Sega is the Associate Editor for Columbus Underground. She covers political issues on the local and state levels, as well as local food and restaurant news. She grew up near Cleveland, graduated from Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism, and loves running, traveling and hiking.

metro categories

Lauren Sega is the Associate Editor for Columbus Underground. She covers political issues on the local and state levels, as well as local food and restaurant news. She grew up near Cleveland, graduated from Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism, and loves running, traveling and hiking.